Mental Musings

Most of us use the Internet for our own personal enjoyment, whether it is Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, or just email. But there are some people that have made a fortune because of the Internet. Sometimes they found the right formula for marketing themselves or their product and they hit it big: like Justin Bieber or Kickstarters. Other times it was just a coincidence because they shared a cute family moment and the world went crazy over it: like “Charlie Bit My Finger.” Because of the unknown nature of the Internet, many people have started posting their entire lives online in hopes that they may have that one post that goes viral. There is no industry standard as to what constitutes a post going viral. The social media app used also has a lot to do with it. A Facebook post that reaches 10,000 people is considered a viral post. Last year we posted a photo on our Facebook page and it reached over 1.5 million people. That was a viral post and bec...

President Franklin D. Roosevelt called for a declaration of war against Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor, which he said was “A day which will live in infamy.” Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar (modern-day San Antonio, Texas), killing every last Texas army defender. It was the battle-cry of "Remember the Alamo" that later spurred on the forces of Sam Houston to victory. Following the flood, God placed a rainbow in the sky as a tool to remember the agreement that He made with Noah to never again flood the entire earth. During the last supper of Jesus, He asked His disciples to remember every time they eat a meal how He was about to die for each of them and all who would believe. Following the terrorist attack against the United States on September 11, 2001, the phrase “Never Forget” could be found everywhere. Remember D-Day ...

The media knows that many people are obsessed with celebrities. They following them on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc. They buy magazines to read about them. They search Google for information about them. They flood Reddit when they do an Ask Me Anything. The celebrity agents are constantly trying to find ways to keep them in the news. There is probably no organization that better understands how to celebrate a celebrity than Hollywood. Every time a new movie is premiered, they roll out the red carpet, watch the crowds line up around it, bring in the cameras and microphones, and let the parade of celebrities begin. And the celebrities eat up all that attention as they are treated like royalty. This article was posted following this year’s Oscars in February: While many actors are naturals in front of the camera when they're on set, walking the carpet is a whole other thing -- and everybody remembers their first.

The lights, the cameras, the questions:...

Maria was a single mom with a beautiful little boy named John. When she told her parents that she was pregnant at the age of 16, they kicked her out of the house and refused to have anything to do with her again. The next 10 years were very difficult for Maria. She moved to a new city and struggled every day working two jobs just to pay for her low rent apartment in the highest crime area of the city. She did everything she could to provide for John and help him succeed in school. She even started attending a small church with her son. By all outward appearances, Maria was doing great. Inside, she was a wreck. She had reached the end of her own inner strength. She had no close friends, she had very little time to spend with her son, and she was always exhausted. After one particularly difficult day at work, Maria picked up John and went to their church to pray. She told her 9-year-old son to take a seat and just leave her alone for five minutes. She cried out to Go...